Gibson has been saying as much all spring, and General Manager Kevin Towers on Sunday was asked if contracts will play a role in the starting rotation.

"No," he said. "Not at all."

During his years as the Padres' GM, Towers became known for making March acquisitions, but he said he doesn't anticipate adding to his roster this year.

"I think what we have right here in camp should be sufficient unless we have an injury," he said. "If anything, we might have some excess, some depth in certain areas. So other teams might hit us. I would imagine that our pro scouts are spending more time on the minor-league fields."

Professor Nagy

Gibson said he has "a lot" of nicknames already for new pitching coach Charles Nagy but was willing to share only one with reporters: The Professor.

During the team's FanFest at Chase Field this month, Gibson was sitting next to Nagy and signing autographs for fans.

"All of a sudden I hear out of my right ear, 'Hey, how many degrees in a right angle?' Kid goes, 'Ninety.' (Then Nagy asked) acute and obtuse? So I just call him, 'The Professor.' "